Apparatus for removing lye from fabrics.



APPLICATION FILED 001226, 1908.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912 Invent0r:

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APPARA US non. .n'snrovrne LYE 'FROM FABRICS.

specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Sept; 3, 1912.

Application filed fictober 26, 1908. Serial No. 459,591.

Be it known that I, JULIUs Marinara siding at Laacken, near the city of Barmen, Rhenish Prussia, Germany, a citizen of Switzerland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Removing Lye from Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

f' The ob3ect ofthe present invention is an apparatus for. lixiviating textile materials impregnated with lye in the mercerizing process and recovering the lye. It permits of a rapid and energetic washing out or lixiviation of the goods combined with their verycarefultreatment. This object is essentially obtained by the. goods being repeatedly treated alternately with the washing fluid flowing in counter current through the washing apparatus and with a'steaming arrangement. The goods thoroughly heated in the steaming, apparatus produce in the cold washin fluid an energetic circulation of the fluid favoring the rapid and complete washing, while the goods cooled in the Washing fluid condense a large amount of steam thereon, whereby a further great dilution of the fluid in the goods to be washed out is effected. On the other hand it is possible to obtain practically all the lye ready for immediate use without regeneration, so that hardly any loss arises therein. Besides this the new process otters the advantage that lye is obtainedin various desired degrees of concentration which can be used for bleaching, mercerizing and other purposes.

To carry out the process the apparatus shown as an example in vertical section on the drawing is used, the arrangement being as follows: i

a is a chamber, on the floor of which is arranged a suitable vat b, which is subdivided by means of vertical partitions 0 into a number of separate compartments (Z, (Z (Z etc. Into these separate compartments (Z dip artitions e which are at such a distance rom the partitions c and from the bottom of the compartments d, d, etc., that the separate compartments (1, (L communicate .with each other, and a fluid, for example, is

able to fiow downward from the topmost compartment 03 in the form of a cascade. In these compartments d, d are arranged rolls f, P, etc., and between them in the upper'part of the chamber a arerolls g, actuated by Wheels ha The said. Wheels are driven by a belt is from a pulley 11 to the .pulley m, or by any suitable driving gear. On the axis of the pulley 2' is arranged a cyhnder'n, above which is a cylinder 0. In the chamber vertical partitions p, q are arranged for the purpose of obtaining a space to which the entry of the atmospheric air is prevented. For this purpose, the plates 39, g dip into the liquid contained in the compartments 0?, d and they carry channels r filled with liquid into which drops a cover 8, so that by this hydraulic joint an air tight space inside the chamber a is obtained.

The roll of material coming from the mercerizing machine is carried over a cylinder u into the compartment (1, then upward over the rollers g downward into the next compartment (Z and so on in a zigzag manner, until the material passes out of the chamber a, between the squeezing rolls n, 0, ready to be taken where-required for further treatment. Inside this air-tight chamber a, the removing of the lye from the material takes place. For this purpose pipes 'v are fitted across the chamber a in such manner that the roll of material in its passage touches these pipes, while above the pipes '22 and on the opposite side of the material rods 41; are arranged. The'position of v and w with regard to each other is such that the material is stretched between them.

The pipes I' are perforated on the side toward the material and steam or another medium is led into the pipes, passing out through the holes and acting on the material carried past, in such manner that the lye is removed from the fiber. The rod to servrs to strip otli the lye collected on the surface of the material by the blast action of the pipe 1), so that it falls down into the compartments (Z. This action takes place with each pipe '0 and each rod to, once on the inside of the material and next on the other side, and the lye so driven out of the material falls down into the corresponding compartment d underneath and in this mannor a complete removal of the lye from the material gradually takes place, until finally the material passes out, almost entirely free of lye, through the rolls n, 0. better action the holes in the pipes are distributed so that the whole width of the sur: face of the pipes is covered and every fiber is subjected to the action of the steam. Before reaching the rolls it is subjected to a To obtain a powerful Water spray which is supplied through a pipe Water .flows in to the t "ye; -meat d and mixes therein with the lye there presentand this mixed liquid flows into the following compartment dfil from which the other compartments 1? are supplied. As now. the length. of material dried in the steam space dips again into this a liquid, the liquid in each compartment is continuously raised thereby, sand again-separated by the pipes 11 andstripped 01f bythe rods w. Consequently in each com artment,

ess-conslst's in the circumstgnoeflmhthe lye can be drawn off for direct use from a spe-' cific compartment without :its having to be regenerated. This "advantage is. obtamediby the chamber a being by 'means of the-idescribed hydraulic or other similar 'ijdint inclosed in =air-tight ananner :in the chamher a so that the entry of :carbonic acid thereto is prevented. In the presence 'of carbonic acid thesodium'hydrate is changed according .to the equation i 2NaOH+CO :Na GO +H O, that is into sodium carbonate and Water The sodium carbonate could not be used until first regenerated, while itis mssil leby means of the present rocess and the present apparatus to draw of? direct from a specific compartment lye of the desired concentra- 40 tion, so that for instance it is possible to take lye for bleaching from the compartment at and from the compartment d -or d into which in this case the partition q would dip, a higher lye for mercerizing purposes, as the separated lye is of course stronger at first and falls gradually with the zigzag travel of the material.

For drawing 08 the desired 1 e the compartments may be provided wi any suitable means as for instance valves afluc like.

What I c'laimand desire tomunrc by Letters Patent is:

An apparatus for lixivitting textile materials "impregnated with lye com 'sin' an air .tight chamber, a number 0 Y-guiding rolls located inthe top (if the apparatus, means to revolve said stalls, corresponding number of "rolls amrwn on the "bottom, both sets :of :rolls trave ing the textile matenial in zigzag way,xa steaming *ap liance situated on one-side of each In of t e material and a striping ofl app iance on the other side and deliver rrolls placed outside thelapparatus, a num er of compartments on the bottom of the ap aratus arranged in a-slanted direction eac compartment receiving a guiding roll, and partitions dipping in' the compartments as described and I for the purpose set forth.

JULIUS MATTER. [11.8.]

"Witnesses:

Orro Komc, WALM Gno. SIHNAMP. 

